Are we alone in the universe? Almost certainly not. In First Contact, Marc Kaufman provides a gripping tour of the magnificent new science of astrobiology that is closing in on the discovery of extraterrestrial life. In recent decades, scientists generally held that the genesis of life was unique to Earth: It was too delicate a process, and the... more...

National Geographic presents the science, the goals, and the anticipation of humankind?s most ambitious planetary expedition ever: the Curiosity mission to Mars. On August 6, 2012 (EST), NASA?s Curiosity spacecraft will complete its 255-day, 354-million-mile journey and plunge down into Gale Crater, its target on the martian surface, decelerating from... more...